INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

PlayStation VR Headset Release Date, Price Announced — Set To Launch With 50 Games

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 07:22 PST, Jun 14, 2016

The PlayStation VR headset has been given enough details to whet the appetites of gamers everywhere. When the release date hits, don’t expect the price tag to be a proverbial drop in the bucket, though. This new gaming technology will set you back a few hundred dollars.

Industry insiders and the gaming press have been suspecting that the shift to virtual reality on consoles won’t be cheap, and they were right. The resolution necessary to make 4K visuals possible requires a hefty graphics card which you won’t find cheap on its own. Your average PC system capable of running visuals like that are on the pricey side, as well, and the image is literally inches from your eyes. Any low resolution display will be extremely noticeable at the VR range.

RELATED ARTICLES ON THE INQUISITR:

With resolution capable to being up to today’s gaming standards on the PlayStation VR headset, the console itself would need an obvious upgrade. Up to now, 1080p 60fps visuals have been the benchmark, and not the norm. With TVs only capable of delivering 1080p at the highest, it hasn’t needed to be any higher. The PlayStation Neo will definitely require an Ultra HD TV to get the most out of it.

The PlayStation VR headset alone will cost you $399, the same price as the PS4 when it launched in 2013. To grab the necessary camera and Move controllers with it, that will be $499. If you want it bundled with the PlayStation Neo, you will be forking out $850. To upgrade to virtual reality this fall, your wallet will hurt.

That’s not even including the games which will be available when the technology arrives on store shelves on October 13. As expected, there will be a lot of titles among the 50 which you’ll probably forget quickly, and a few which you will probably trade in your car for the chance to play.

Seriously, for the VR bundle and a few games you will be paying about the price of a high-end smartphone.

Probably the most exciting game announcement is Batman: Arkham VR, which is said to expand on the story of Rocksteady’s superhero simulator. Not much was revealed in the E3 trailer, as the camera basically caressed the textures of Bruce Wayne’s mask with Mark Hamill’s voiceover for the Joker in the background.

Another major announcement which will work with or without the PlayStation VR headset is Resident Evil 7, which could be taking the Dead Island route to the story of zombies running rampant through the streets of Raccoon City. It seems to draw heavily from the visuals of Konami’s now-dead Silent Hills. Double-tapping the undead from a first person perspective could bring the horror franchise to a whole new level of immersion.

For the racing fanatics, Gran Turismo Sport is being made compatible with the PlayStation VR headset, adding even more realism to a game which prides itself in being a racing simulator at heart.

If you’d rather fly, Namco is giving us Ace Combat 7, so you can be that much closer to your fantasy of being Maverick from Top Gun.

Are you excited to take gaming into ultimate immersion with the PlayStation VR headset?

[Image via Barone Firenze/Shutterstock.com]

Share this article: PlayStation VR Headset Release Date, Price Announced — Set To Launch With 50 Games
More from Inquisitr